Of Godfather, Dayquil and Ice Cream
by RobertDowneyJrLove
Summary: For once, Pepper was the one calling in sick and Tony's determined to take care of her whether she likes it or not. Fluffy Tony/Pepper friendship with romance at the end.


The grocery store was shockingly empty but workable.

The fluorescent lights had a distinctively orange glow about them, illuminating everything in an orange tinged light. White linoleum flooring squeaked under his Converse clad feet melding with the static-filled warble of some old radio station that crackled through the old intercom speakers. The crackling static broke the jarring, eerie silence that filled the empty grocery store. The triangular plastic signs that hung above each aisle listed the items that could be found on the shelves that formed the narrow, musty aisles. He's not sure he should trust anything that's on the shelves but he's willing to work with what he's given. He survived in a cave for three months on food that wasn't discernable from the mud on the ground - he can work with whatever's in the off the wall, musty grocery store.

The one cashier in the grocery store looked as if she took a DeLorean from the eighties with her frizzy red curls, long fuschia fingernails and obnoxiously loud bubble gum. She also looked bored as all get out but he paid her no mind as he perused through the aisles, seeking out items for his sick assistant. The green tea was an easy find but finding his assistant - and best friend's preferred brand was another challenge altogether. He's not sure how but he managed to find the correct brand. He plucked a box from the shelf and made his way to the refrigerated section. He grabbed a couple of bottles of orange juice with no pulp and a couple of bottles of that Fiji water that she liked so well.

He dropped the items into the plastic green basket with rusted out metal handles that hung off of his arm. He made his way through the grocery store, picking up a couple more items, with a mental note to stop at the nearest drugstore and pick up DayQuil and then at another grocery store to pick up some ice cream. He made his way to the check-out and almost immediately, the cashier perked up and started her register. She had scanned all of two items before she snapped her fingers and her bubble gum popped back into her mouth with an obnoxious snap.

"Hey Sugar," Her Southern twang matched her frizzy red hair and obnoxious personality. "Aren't you that Tony Stark fella?"

"Yep." He answered briskly, pulling his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans. He waited until she was finished scanning the items and had rung up his total with a click of one of her long fingernails before opening his wallet and handing her a couple of twenties. "Sure am."

"Well I'll be," Her Southern twang was stronger this time and his mind was telling him to bolt from the grocery store. She bagged his items and pulled the white plastic bags from the carousel.

He clicked his tongue as he took his bags from her, mumbled something to her about keeping the change and bolted from the grocery store. He tossed the bags in the trunk of his Audi and hopped into the driver's seat. A mix of gravel and crushed asphault, wet from the previous night's rain, crunched under his tires and water splashed up on the side of his car as he pulled out of the parking lot. A stop for some DayQuil, ice-cream and a new boxed set of the Godfather trilogy, had him well prepared for a day spent taking care of a sick Pepper Potts.

He kept a steady speed with one hand on the steering wheel and the other tapping along with the soft strains of whatever song was playing on the radio, on the car door. Her apartment building was easy to find and when he pulled in, the key-code required to open the gates, barely required thought. He had been to Pepper's apartment many times before almost as much as she was at his house. She had been living in the same apartment for a good five years now - after he had convinced her to move out of the one she had been living in with a roommate, whose extra-curricular activities may or may not have included dealing drugs without Pepper's knowledge.

Thanks to a considerable amount of influence, said roommate was now serving fifteen to thirty in a federal prison for posession of illegal substances. He was just glad he had convinced his best friend to get away from it before she got hurt. Given she had not been pleased that he had stuck his nose in her business, when she found out what her roommate and supposed friend had been doing behind her back, she came to realize that Tony was only protecting her.

Gathering the bags from the back of the car, he slammed the trunk and started toward Pepper's apartment. A quick elevator ride and a weave through a couple of corridors later, he had arrived at her door, bags in hand and a smile on his face as he knocked on the door.

"Good Morning, Sunshine." Tony grinned obnoxiously when the door swung open and Pepper stood before him with a grumpy frown on her face. "Well aren't we in a good mood today?"

"Sunshine and rainbows," Pepper spat sarcastically, turning her nose into the crook of her elbow to cough as she turned away from the door, leaving it open as an invitation in. "What do you want?"

She resumed her previous position on the couch; wrapped snuggly in a soft, green afghan that matched her cream suede couch, with her head resting on her favorite pillow which was encased in an old, blue pillowcase that had endured it's fair share of heartaches, sicknesses and various other things. She was swimming in a pair of green sweats and a black tank top; her hair was piled high on top of her head and was basically a mess of oily knots. Her droopy eyes were red and watery, the normally bright blue was now stormy and dark. Her nose was stuffy, swollen and red. The cough sounded as if she was raking off layers of tissue in her throat. She looked about as sick as he knew she felt - if the grumpy, hoarse phone call he had received from her earlier to inform him that she was sick and if he didn't like it, well he could stick it - well he won't go any further, let's just say it involved a body part that nothing should ever be stuck in.

"I don't like when you're sick," Tony dropped the bags in his hands on the coffee table. "You're grumpy."

Pepper's only response was a half-hearted groan and something that sounded like an obscene version of, "Get out!"

"Here," Tony pulled a cold bottle of water from one of the bags on her table and handed it to her. "Drink."

"Go home," She rasped hoarsely, looking up at him through droopy blue eyes. "You don't need to get sick and I don't need you here. I can take care of myself."

"Pepper, you can barely talk." Tony scolded lightly, reaching into another bag and pulled out a large container of what she hoped was chicken soup. "I brought chicken soup, that green tea crap you made me drink but I'll add some honey and a brand new boxed-set of the Godfather trilogy, as if we hadn't seen the whole thing enough as it is."

"Ugh! I'm not getting rid of you, am I?" Pepper groaned, pulling the afghan up around her shoulders. Her look was pleading but the look in his eyes was fierce, determined. He wouldn't be leaving her apartment until she was completely okay.

"Look, when you stop ending everything with a 'B' then I'll give it some thought," Tony told her, laughing slightly at her childish pout of annoyance. "Until that happens, look on the bright side, I've got four pints of Ben and Jerry's finest."

"Half Baked and Bonnaroo Buzz?" Pepper asked him, sticking her lower lip out as a reminder that if she was wrong, he was going to pay - and apparently he got the message because he nodded in confirmation.

"Two pints of each," Tony told her, gathering up the bags to carry the stuff into the kitchen. "I'm going to get the soup on the stove, you try to get some rest. Okay?"

"How can I rest, knowing you're in my house?" Pepper grumbled even though her blue eyes were already closing despite her protest.

"Like that," Tony carried the bags into the kitchen and set them on her kitchen counter to empty them. He hummed to himself as he milled around her kitchen search of a pot to cook the soup. Once he found a pot, he poured the chicken soup in and added some water to thin out the cold-thickened broth.

Once the home-made chicken noodle soup was simmering on the stove and water was heating up in a kettle, he set about doing the other chores that needed to be done. He set the green tea on the counter along with the white porcelain mug that had a picture of Iron Man on it along with his name in red and gold block letters. He stored the ice cream in the freezer, put the other bottles of water in the fridge and took the Godfather movies into the living room to set beside her TV.

When the shrill whistle of the kettle rang out in the kitchen, he rushed over to turn it off before it could wake up Pepper. He poured some water into the mug, retrieved a tea bag from the box, unwrapped it and dropped into the water to steep, letting the tag hang over the side. He opened every cabinet in her kitchen until he found the teddy bear shaped plastic jar of honey. He retrieved a teaspoon from her dishwasher and opened the jar of honey, squeezing the thick amber substance in her tea. Once he was sure it was to Pepper's liking, he once again ransacked her kitchen until he found a bowl and another spoon, along with a ladle.

"Pepper," Tony padded into the living room with the tray and set it on the coffee table while he tried to wake Pepper up. "Pepper, time to wake up!"

"Hmm?" Pepper hummed as she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him. "What?"

"Soup." Tony motioned to the tray on the coffee table. "And green tea and as an after-dinner delight, we have DayQuil."

"You couldn't have brought something stronger? Like whiskey?" Pepper grumbled as she relucantly sat up and accepted the tray but not before noticing the mug he had made her tea in. The same white mug she had been begging him for months to let her throw away - or destroy. "Oh dear God! You brought me tea in an Iron Man mug?"

"Hey!" Tony pouted, faking offense. "I grabbed the first mug I saw in my cabinet this morning."

"Didn't you think I would have any?" Pepper asked him, rolling her eyes at his ridiculousness. "I have a cabinet full, Tony!"

"I know this," Tony nodded, as he made his way to her TV and DVD player to set the movie up. He fumbled around with it before finally hitting the right button to get it open. "But I also know that you hate that mug and have been wanting to throw it away. So when you're done getting your sick germs all over it, go right ahead."

"Oh how nice of you!" Pepper smiled sarcastically.

Tony laughed as he popped the first Godfather movie into her DVD player and turned her TV on, flipping through channels of static buzz before finally finding the right setting to play the movie. He collapsed on the couch beside her and pressed play on her remote. While Pepper ate her soup and sipped her tea - which was nearly bad for Tony who found it rather amusing to see Pepper drink out of an Iron Man mug, while she was ready to bash it over his head - they kept their eyes glued to the screen, both riveted by a movie they had seen before.

"I could be a mob boss," Tony commented half-way through the movie, looking over at Pepper, who just rolled her eyes. "What? I could!"

"Tony, the mob is all about secrecy and evading the law." Pepper told him, laughing at his wounded puppy expression. "While you've got the second one down, you can't keep your mouth shut about anything. I seriously doubt you'd be able to keep anything you did as a mob boss a secret."

"You don't think I could do it?" Tony's wounded puppy look intensified ten-fold.

"Unless someone sewed your mouth shut, no you couldn't." Pepper laughed softly, "Tony, I think I'd rather you stay like you are."

"If you say so," Tony dropped the offended look. "I still think I could do it. Now take your after dinner delight."

Pepper just shook her head as she finished her soup, popped the DayQuil out of the plastic and foil packaging and washed it down with the honey-sweetened remnants of her green tea. Once she was done and everything was on the tray, she set the tray on the coffee table and moved closer to Tony.

"Bonnaroo Buzz or Half Baked?" Tony looked over at her knowingly.

"Buzz." Pepper told him, sniffling. Tony stood up and walked around the coffee table, scooping up the box of tissues and tossing them to her on his way to the kitchen. He retrieved the pints of ice cream from the fridge and two spoons from the dishwasher.

"Pep," He chuckled, walking back into the living room. "When was the last time you emptied that thing? It looks like you stuffed all of your dishes in there."

Pepper just grunted in response as she tossed the tissue box to the side and accepted the ice cream container and a spoon. They sat side by side eating out of their ice cream containers watching the movie unfold before them. Even though they had watched the entire trilogy together on more than one occasion, they still enjoyed the movie. It was the one movie that didn't tempt Tony to open his mouth every five seconds - she now knew better than to watch Science Fiction movies with him.

"Whoever thought of combining toffee with ice cream was a genius!" Pepper commented, crunching on the frozen chunk of toffee bar.

"Whoever thought of combining whiskey and ice cream was a genius." Tony chuckled, licking the melting, gooey remnants of whiskey caramel from his spoon. "I love whiskey and ice cream,"

"You love whiskey and ice cream or just whiskey?" Pepper asked him teasingly, digging another chunk of toffee bar out of the coffee and malt ice cream. "Coffee and malt ice creams have got to be the best."

"I like both," Tony told her, looking over at her, his spoon paused in mid-air. "I admit, that before Afghanistan I might have preferred whiskey a bit more than I preferred sugary products but I've changed, Pep, you know that."

"I know, Tony, I was just teasing." Pepper told him, dropping the piece of toffee bar into her mouth before licking the ice cream off of her spoon. "I shouldn't have."

"It's okay," Tony shook his head, digging into his ice cream once again as he changed topics. "I've never seen you sick before, Pep."

"I don't usually get sick," Pepper snarked at him, sticking her tongue out in a childish manner that reminded him of himself in many ways. "I hate getting sick."

"Germaphobic?"

"Not germaphobic, I just don't like not feeling good and not being able to get up a move around." Pepper grumbled, dropping her spoon into the ice cream carton and yawning. "Hmm I think the alcohol is starting to take effect."

Tony smiled as he took the ice cream carton from her and took them into the kitchen. He dropped the spoons in the sink, put the lids back on the cartons and put them back in her refrigerator. When he made his way back to the couch and resumed his previous position with his legs propped up on her coffee table, he wasn't the least bit surprised to find Pepper more than willing to curl into his side. With the green afghan wrapped snugly around her shoulders, and her knees tucked underneath her, she happily rested her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his abdomen. He wrapped his arm around her and squeezed her hip affectionately.

"Don't leave, okay?" Pepper sniffled, burying her face in the warmth of his shirt.

"I'm not." Tony shook his head as he traced lazy circles on her hip with his thumb as her eyes closed and her stuffy breathing evened out slightly. "I'm not going anywhere."

He stayed in that position until the credits rolled on the movie, even then, his only movement was to reposition them so that he was laying on his back, with Pepper on top of him and the blanket draped over both of them. His eyes felt incredibly heavy and his mind was clouded with drowsiness. As he drifted off to sleep, with his sleeping best friend on his chest and the credits still scrolling on the TV screen, he couldn't help but feel quite comfortable and at home on her couch. More at home than he was in his own mansion.

"Tony.." A soft voice breathed in his ear, "To-ony, time to wake up."

His nose wrinkled as her hair tickled his face and the urge to sneeze caused his brown eyes to slide open slowly. He found himself staring up into the bright blue eyes of his best friend, who looked as if she felt better. Upon looking down, he was quick to discover that his best friend was in fact hovering over him and because of the lack of room on her room, that meant she had to straddle him in order to keep them both from falling to the floor.

"I take it you're feeling better?" His voice was still thick with sleep.

"Very. Thank you, Tony." Pepper smiled sweetly.

"No problem, Pep." Tony's tender smile tugged at his lips, his eyes crinkling adorably at the corners. "Pep?"

"Yes, Tony?" Pepper's eyes never left his but she could see the heaviness pulling at his eyelids.

"I feel the sudden urge to kiss you now." Tony's candid, honest confession made Pepper smile as she leaned closer to him, pressing her chest against his.

"Then how about we do something about that." Pepper's sultry voice whispered in his ear.

Her lips, although still a tad bit dry from the remnants of a cold, felt like velvet against his own and his lips parted eagerly when her tongue scraped along his bottom lip, seeking permission to enter. Her own lips parted immediately and at once, their tongues were battling for dominance. Tony wrapped his arms around Pepper, holding her against him tightly and buried one hand in her tangled strawberry locks. Her hands settled in his spiked mess of soft black hair and she lightly squeezed him with her legs, smiling against his mouth when he responded just as she thought he would. His weight shifted and she settled completely on top of him, fitting against him like perfection.

"I'm glad I got sick." Pepper whispered against his mouth.

"So am I." Tony barely mumbled, leaning up to keep her from pulling away completely. "Wait..why?"

"Because then you wouldn't have had any reason to take such good care of me." Pepper smiled.

"Well then, I'm always a phone call away."

And as his head connected with the arm of the couch again and Pepper's lips descended on his once again, he could only hope that the next time she was sick, he wouldn't have to drive halfway across town just take care of her. He could only hope that next time she was sick, she was right there in his mansion with him. Maybe, just maybe, the next time she caught a cold, it wouldn't be Tony, her best friend, taking care of her, it would be Tony, her _husband _taking care of her.

Yes, that would be perfect.

* * *

**Happy 100th Story To Me! Good Lord! Tony Stark, darling, I've missed you! Oh my goodness me, I've missed this ship/fandom so much. I get so caught up in ships and fandoms other than this one that I forget how easy and enjoyable it is to write some good Pepperony fluff-stuff! Writing Iron Man is like yoga for me, it's easy and relaxing for me because these characters are just so easy to work with and write. I love it! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. Leave me some love, Dolls!**

**Love ya, **

**RobertDowneyJrLove**

**P.S. This wasn't inspired by anything, really, I think I might have been eating chocolate ice cream when I came up with but I eat chocolate ice cream a lot that doesn't count for me. **


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